Boomshakalaka! The Euroleague Takes Over NBA Jam

No NBA could mean no pro basketball video games (and seriously, the NCAA version feels like it’s a few years behind). At the very least, these new releases could have no rookies and stale rosters, which frankly, might be worse.

Lior Eliyahu, Mike Batiste and their Euroleague buddies to the rescue. I don’t pray very often, but every third of fourth request involves me telling Euroleaguers what to do with a PlayStation controller. So with the Euroleague’s announcement that NBA Jam: On Fire Edition will include four Euroleague teams, I’m forced to look skyward and thank whatever deity’s been eavesdropping on me all these years.

The rosters are limited, but it’s a start:

Maccabi Tel Aviv: Lior Eliyahu and Sofoklis Schortsanitis

Montepaschi Siena: Bo McCalebb and Ksistof Lavrinovic

Real Madrid: Sergio Llull and Carlos Suarez

Panathinaikos: Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste

Prepare to be aroused…

Perhaps the best part about this whole deal is EA’s commitment to the Euroleague, leaving the door open for a full-fledged video game (a la the now deceased NBA Live or its heir apparent, NBA Elite) or at least an expanded NBA Jam field. I’m talking about Juan Carlos Navarro and Fran Vazquez for Barca, Ersan Ilyasova and Esteban Batista for Efes, Fernando San Emeterio and Maciej Lampe for Caja Laboral.